Coming off a last-place finish, the Phillies' early
projections call for a 15-20% drop in season-ticket sales,
according to Edward Moran of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER.
Phillies VP/Ticket Ops Richard Deats said "about" 10,000
season-tickets have been sold for '97, down from 15,500
sales at this time last year. Yesterday was the "deadline"
for purchasing season-tickets, but Deats said that anyone
who wants to buy now "won't be turned away." The team's
goal is for 12,500 season sales by Opening Day. Team
VP/Marketing Dennis Mannion is aiming to bring fans "closer
to the game," starting with those that watch at home.
Mannion is looking at enhanced graphics, an "increased use
of techno-gimmicks," and on-screen displays that will
include the type and speed of pitches to be new additions
for the Phillies broadcasts. The team is also building a
video library of new and past interviews with players and
stats to enhance the broadcasts (PHILA. INQUIRER, 3/18).
RANGERS: Although no timeline or details have been set,
Rangers President Tom Schieffer said the team's plan to
develop land surrounding The Ballpark in Arlington, TX, "has
not been dropped." The original plan when The Ballpark
opened included 400,000 square-feet of retail and two
million square-feet of office space (Leigh Strope, FT. WORTH
STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/18).
